Rocky-A Change of Heart
by classicsfangirl2019
Summary: Having just lost the fight against Ivan Drago, Rocky Balboa is dejected and feels as if he let Apollo down. To his surprise, Paulie comes to him with a new heart and a sudden change that is centered on his confrontation with the Gospel. While Rocky desperately wants to fight Drago again, Paulie tries to convince him to instead try to understand Drago and maybe even befriend him.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Boom. Ivan's gloved fist struck Rocky across the cheek like a hammer, and an excruciating clap of thunder sounded inside his head that made him sure he had broken something. His jaw, his nose, maybe even his brain, but how could he tell? Everything hurt. All of those thoughts whirled through Rocky's mind in the matter of a second, and before he knew it, he was sprawled on the ground, unconsciously but desperately grabbing at the ropes to pull himself up. He couldn't lose. Not to Ivan, for the monster had killed Apolla in cold blood. Apollo...a dozen emotions crashed over Rocky, and he fell back against the floor of the ring, overwhelmed and fatigued.

"Eight! Nine! Ten! You're out!" The crowd erupted into pandemonium, but he could do nothing except lay motionless and wish he could fall into a darkness where he could feel nothing. He had lost; worse, he had failed to avenge Apollo.

"Adrian.." The word was soft at first as it escaped his broken and bleeding lips, but it soon grew to a yell. Rocky couldn't open his eyes, couldn't move. He felt so helpless, and without Adrian's gentle hand gripped tightly within his, he felt himself slipping...slipping down, down into blackness.

#

"Yo, Rocko. It's Paulie...can you hear me? It's okay if you can't but the doctor said you should be waking up any time now. You put Adrian and the kid through a lot, y'know that?" At the mention of Adrian, Rocky somehow found the power within himself to surge up with a great gasp, only to fall back down onto the bed because his entire body was wrought with pain.

"I didn't train enough." He mumbled to himself. Paulie surged up in his chair, and through the blur of his vision, Rocky noticed the bags that appeared like bruises beneath his eyes. He had clearly been fighting, but with life and not in the ring.

"What was that, Rock? Hey, take it easy!" Paulie exclaimed, concern written all over his face.

"I should've trained harder! I let down Apollo! I let down you and Adrian." Rocky covered his eyes with his hands as if it could shield him from the fight that he was reliving over and over again.

"Rocky...you did everything you could. You did exactly what Apollo would have wanted you to do."

"This time I'll beat him. I'll break Drago's smug face." Rocky whispered angrily, ignoring Paulie. His jaw throbbed, but his fury overpowered the pain.

"No. I've been thinking, y'know? Maybe...maybe we've been going about this whole thing wrong. Maybe we shouldn't try to fight Drago. Maybe...we should get to hear his side of things. Help him." Rocky's stomach dropped. Was this really Paulie talking? He slowly eased himself up, clutching at his ribs he knew were broken, and stared into Paulie's wide, nervous eyes curiously.

"What do you mean? Since when have you thought this, Paulie?" Hesitating, Paulie shifted anxiously in his seat before answering carefully, "I've done some thinking, Rocko. I think this is the best way to go about things. I, uh, had a change of heart."

"What kind of a change?"

"I, uh, found the Gospel." Jaw dropping, Rocky could do nothing but stare incredulously, mind whirling. Paulie? His Paulie? Losing the fight must have been harder on him than he had imagined.

"That's...I don't know what to say to that."

"It's alright. You don't have to."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"What happened, Paulie? I didn't know he was lost." Rocky frowned, unsure of how to feel about his new change of heart.

"You know Ol' Father Mills? He left our Parish a couple years back." Brightening, Rocky scratched his chin, wincing when he accidentally touched his busted up lip.

"Yeah. He was a good guy. I remember him!"

"Well, I was going to O'Leary's because well, y'know, after everything that's happened…" Rocky nods reassuringly, and Paulie continues with a renewed vigor. "I met him there. He was just sitting in the bar, and he started talking to me."

"I know I might be getting a little soft in the head, but this don't make no sense, Paulie! Why would he be drinking?"

"He was drinking a club soda, Rock. Anyway, he told me that he left St. Mary's because he found Jesus."

"Paulie, that just doesn't make no sense!"

"I know! I know! I didn't think so either!" A dull ache began to pulse throughout his head, so Rocky just sighed in response. Paulie looked as if he had something else to say, but he was interrupted by someone flinging the door open.

"Rocky!" The slurred and heavily accented name escaped the lips of none other than Ivan Drago, and Paulie gasped instinctively when he caught sight of the cameramen trailing behind him.

"What are you doing here, Drago?" Rocky mumbled sluggishly, the pain growing worse by the second.

"I wanted to see how you were doing." Drago said with a sickly sweet tone, stopping at the side of the bed to throw a dazzling smile at the cameras. Rage suddenly raced through Rocky's veins, making his blood boil, and without hesitation, he ripped the IV from his arm, threw back the sheets, and leapt from the bed; hitting Ivan squarely in the jaw with his bandaged fist so hard that Ivan collapsed. Paulie shouted something indistinguishable, and the cameramen eagerly circled the scene like vultures.

"Get up!" Rocky cried, the fight between he and Ivan obviously still tormenting him. As if on cue, Ivan stirred, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. Rocky drew back his arm, about to deliver the final blow, but was stopped short when a sudden wave of agony crashed over him, and he dropped to his knees, clutching his head with his usually handsome face contorted with pain into something bestial. The pain...it was all he could think about; it was an all-consuming, all-powerful, burning pain that split his head in two, and Rocky wished he could fall back into the comforting depths of unconsciousness.

"Call a doctor!" Paulie shouted, and the cameras panned in on Rocky, who was writhing on the ground with a low moan escaping his lips. "Hey! Get out of here!" Paulie shooed the cameramen, blocking Rocky with his body.

To Rocky, it was as if nothing else was going on around him. He didn't know that doctors were swarming around him; he didn't see Paulie calling Adrian through tears; but before he could open his eyes, he was pulled down into the darkness again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Hey, Rocko! Look at the nerve of that Drago! His men put you on the news! Look at the crap they're sayin' about you!" Rocky glanced up from the book he was trying to read and focused in on the TV on the hospital wall facing him.

"Turn it down, Paulie, I'm growing deaf here." Rocky complained as the pounding in his head worsened. Where Paulie did so, Rocky gazed, slack-jawed, at the video of him first knocking out Ivan and then collapsing himself. A broad smile spread on his face, and he said, "Hey, Paulie! I'm on the news! Tell Adrian, would ya?"

"This is bad, Rock! You look like a schmuck!"

"Don't be such a...what's the word...pes-pessimist!" Rocky straightened when Adrian entered the room, teary-eyes, and his stomach dropped.

"Yo, Paulie, could ya give us a minute?" Although he grumbled under his breath, Paulie stood up stiffly and waddled out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Hey, how ya doin'?" He said in an attempt to be cheery to Adrian, noticing the red around her eyes.

"I heard. I heard about the fight. I heard that you have permanent brain damage. Did you not think to tell me? To tell your son?" Her voice shook, but Rocky couldn't tell if it was from sadness or anger.

"I'm sorry, Adrian. I just didn't want you to worry about me." Rocky said sheepishly, looking away.

"Did you see the news? I mean, come on, Rocky! How could you? Not only did you embarrass yourself, but you embarrassed our family. You hit someone who was trying to help you on National television!" Rocky felt defenseless against her accusations. Each word hurt worse than a blow from even Ivan, and he just gazed imploringly at Adrian.

"You know I don't want to hurt ya none! I love you!" Her lower lip trembled, and she seemed to be torn. Running a hand through his jet black hair in frustration, Rocky cleared his was he supposed to do? After a moment, Adrian approached and unexpectedly reached forward to put her hand on Rocky's cheek, meeting his dark eyes tenderly.

"Rocky...I love you. I always will. But I can't do this anymore. I can't sit around and watch you destroy yourself. Destroy our family. Everything has to be a fight for you. You always have to prove yourself. I'm going to be gone for a little while. I'm taking Robert with me."

"No, Adrian, please, I need you now more than ever!" A tear slipped down her pale cheek, and she turned around, clutching her purse tightly against her chest.

"I'm sorry." With that, she left. Unable to think, to breathe, to move, Rocky gaped at the spot where Adrian had just been. What had just happened? How had he let this happen? A strangled cry escaped his lips, and a lump formed in his throat. He couldn't do anything right. His heart...was so empty. So cold. Where had everything gone? His fighting career, Adriana, his son.

With only anguish in his head, in his heart, Rocky rolled out of his bed, ignoring the massive headache that began plaguing him, and began running in his hospital gown. He ran out of his room, through the halls, past rooms that flashed before him, and up stairs. More stairs and more stairs until he was outside on the roof. When he finally stopped, listening only to the furious pounding of his heart, Rocky let out a cry of misery and pain. His life was over. What else did he have? Paulie? Fighting was over. Mick was dead. Adrian had left. He staggered to the edge, where he just sat down; sat with his legs dangling over the side of the building that was more than ten stories tall. The dots rushing by were cars. No one was stopping to look up at him. Noone cared. He shouldn't have to care either; he didn't have to feel anymore; face anyone.

"Yo...Rocko! I say you running down the hall! What-what are you doing up here? You should be in your bed!" He recognized Paulie's panting voice immediately, but didn't respond. "Can I come over? Is it okay with you?" Rocky nodded numbly, still staring forward. "Why don't you come back over here with me?"

"Why? Why should I?" Rocky burst out, his words slurred with emotion.

"What do you mean? I just don't want you to get hurt!" Paulie's voice went higher and became more grating as his desperation grew.

"It doesn't matter if I get hurt, Paulie! Can't you see that? Everything's gone!"

"What's gone, Rocko? I care!"

"Adrian! All gone! All gone! What have I got? Nothing!" Paulie closed his eyes, his lips moving as if silently in prayer, before sitting beside Rocky with confidence.

"That's what I thought, too. But now I know I got God." Sniffling, Rocky squared his shoulders.

"What about him?"

"You said you lost everything. But not him."

"Then why did he make Adriana leave?"

"It's all for your good, Rocko. Just...please don't do anything you'll regret later." Scoffing, Rocky swiped at his cheeks with the backs of his hands.

"My good? I just don't know anymore, Paulie! I just don't know." Slumping over, Rocky tried to convince himself internally that God loved him. But how could he know? He messed up.

"Why don't you just come down so we can talk about it?" Paulie's hand was gentle on Rocky's arm; an unusual occurrence between the two. Somehow, it worked to calm Rocky down so that although his chest still heaved with labored breaths, he nodded and wearily stood to retreat from the edge.

"You make me go nuts there for a second, Rocko." Paulie said, relieved that he had managed to diffuse the situation.


End file.
